Chilli Bajji Pav

With layer after layer of flavours, this chilli bajji pav is a treat for your taste buds. Smoky, roasted banana peppers, garlic-coconut dry chutney, a dollop of mashed potato masala, and a slice of cheese, all of these held together with a toasted pav bun. What else do you need? A hot cup of tea, maybe!

It has been a while since I posted a snack, and I thought it is high time I try one! I wanted to incorporate roasted peppers in one of my recipes, and I fancied I could try with the local banana peppers. That is the origin of this chilli bajji pav.

About this chilli bajji pav

There are three layers to this pav bun sandwich.

The first one is the roasted banana peppers (the chilli bajji peppers). The peppers are roasted on a gas stove flame and scraped off to remove all the charred skin. Banana peppers are perfect for this pav. They add a nice peppery, chilli hit without being too hot!

The second layer is the garlic-coconut chutney powder. Garlic, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, dry chillies, peanuts, and grated coconut are roasted and ground to a coarse chutney powder. This is probably the soul of this sandwich rendering most of the flavours and aroma.

The third and final layer is the aloo (potato) masala. Mashed potatoes with finely chopped onions and coriander seeds. This balances out the spiciness of the other two layers, add to the volume and brings in a note of freshness with the coriander leaves.

Chilli Bajji Pav

This recipe is to make 6 chilli bajji pavs. The amount of garlic-coconut chutney, however, is more than what is required for the 6 pavs. You’ll need about half of it for the 6 pavs. You can store the rest in the fridge and use it to spice up your steamed rice or as a spice-coating on your dosa or idli.

If you liked this chilli bajji pav, don’t forget to check out the following recipes as well.